Chapter 45: Joint Combat Sleepy End

"The next contenders for the combat exams, please get ready in the waiting room as your names are called: Louise Obelia, Bella Raiseinler."

'Eh?'

That was Louise's first thought as she heard her name being called.

"Louise, I thought your opponent would be another second year?" asked Cecilia, her gigantic fiery snake body wrapping around the whole colosseum. Her massive eyeballs were a daunting sight, and if any of the students had the ability to see spirits like Louise, they would probably run in fear just looking at them.

"What's going on, Louise?" asked Tulan, Louise's other contracted high spirit, his gigantic gorilla body made of rocks reverberating through her ears.

"I don't know," Louise replied, her confusion growing. "Maybe the staff made a mistake? I'm pretty sure the one they assigned me to fight was another senior from the summoning department. Maybe they made a mistake?"

"I repeat for the next contenders for the combat exams, please get ready in the waiting room as your names are called: Louise Obelia, Bella Raiseinler" the announcer called out once again.

"Maybe not?" Muttered Louise as she tilted her head.

.....

A day before the exam, the atmosphere in the summoning department offices was tense, with students finalizing their preparations for the upcoming Joint Combat Exams.

"I withdraw" declared a young man named Raon, who held a documented paper indicating his withdrawal from the competition.

Raon's professor was taken aback by his sudden request and couldn't quite understand why Raon would want to withdraw so close to the exam date.

"What's going on, Raon?"

Raon met his professor's questioning gaze with determination.

"Professor, I might seem like a completely average student by your standards, but I'm not dumb." He pointed at the opponent listed on the paper.

"Look at my opponent."

The professor examined the paper and sighed, realizing his reasoning.

"It's Louise fucking! Obelia, the Spirit Princess. I don't know if you've heard, but there are rumors that she's contracted with a high-ranking spirit the size of multiple houses. You expect me to fight someone like that? No thanks" Raon stated firmly, his decision already made.

Haah.

The professor, understanding the dilemma, nodded, and could only sigh.

Raon felt a sense of relief wash over him as he watched his professors understanding.

Facing an opponent of Louise's caliber was a daunting prospect, and he knew that withdrawing was the right choice.

He didn't want to be remembered as the student who was swiftly defeated after getting one shotted during the exams. Despite being an average student in the spirit department, Raon still had his pride and dignity as a second-year student.

"I understand your reasoning, Raon" the professor replied, "but withdrawing at this late stage is strictly forbidden. The matches are already scheduled for tomorrow. If you'd requested this a week ago, it might have been possible."

Raon countered "The confirmation of my opponent didn't arrive until last night, and now you're telling me you can't do anything about it. Is the school trying to tip the balance in favor of the first years? If anything, it's the school's fault for not providing me with information about my opponent until the last second."

Raon's professor sighed once again, understanding the weight of his student's reasoning. It was not an easy decision to make, and the professor sympathized with Raon's predicament and they can't exactly force a student to fight if they so choose to withdraw.

The upcoming Joint Combat Exams were not only designed to develop comradery and experience among the students, but it was also, a matter of pride and prestige, from the juniors and seniors from each department, and no student wanted to be remembered as the one who withdrew just before the competition.

Leaving now would surely tarnish his reputation. But, in Raon's case, the prospect of facing an opponent as formidable as Louise Obelia was simply too daunting to ignore.

"Fine, we can't force a student to fight if they choose to withdraw. I'll speak to the staff and see if we can make arrangements for your withdrawal."

"Thank you, Professor! You're the best!" Raon exclaimed with joy, attempting to hug his professor. However, his elation was short-lived, as he was immediately sent flying by a powerful gust of wind generated by a human-sized hawk that his professor summoned.

"Get out," the professor said with a firm tone, already anticipating the headache that would come with explaining this to the higher-ups.

On that day, the professors and school faculty members held an emergency meeting regarding the upcoming Joint Combat Exams, with a specific focus on the number of contestants from the first and second years, as the balance of the competition seemed to be tilting in favor of the newcomers.

Her movements were slow, limbs heavy with drowsiness as she languidly stretched, her gaze squinting at the intrusive brightness that filtered through her window.

"Heuung.."

A sleepy mumble escaped her lips as she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the overbearing morning light. Bella's room was in disarray, as it always seemed to be, with a broken alarm clock on her nightstand. It was a casualty of her past anger, a mute witness to her earlier battles against the concept of early mornings.

Glancing at the clock, her eyes widened in surprise. The digits confirmed her worst fear – it was well past noon. Bella's already lazy voice dripped with an extra layer of lethargy as she muttered to herself.

"I'm late...."

Panic set in as she suddenly became aware of her impending appointment at the arena. Bella knew she had no time to spare, and she needed to shake off her morning stupor quickly.

....

"Where the heck is she?" I muttered to myself as I tried to get up from my seat, my curiosity piqued by Bella Raiseinler's sudden absence.

But just as I was about to search for her, a brilliant blue light materialized right in front of me.

Znngg!!

Bella Raiseinler had teleported right before me. Her sky-blue hair swayed gently, though it was somewhat disheveled with tiny bed hairs sticking out. Her attire was equally unkempt, as she wore her school uniform instead of the standard combat shirt and robe the school typically provided.

I couldn't help but wonder, 'Did this girl just roll out of bed?'

"Can you tie my hair, please?" she asked, handing me a few hair ties. I stood there, momentarily perplexed by her unexpected request.

"Student Bella Raiseinler, please finish your preparations and proceed to the arena," the announcer's voice rang out, bringing me back to reality.

Quickly gathering my wits, I began to neatly tie up Bella's hair. Fortunately, I was well-practiced in this skill, as my mother had always allowed me to tie her hair when needed.

After I had swiftly tied up Bella's hair, she made an attempt to move towards the stage. However, I grabbed her gently, halting her in her tracks.

"Wait," I said, carefully buttoning up her disheveled shirt. "There, done."

With a nod, I ushered her onto the arena stage. The sudden appearance of Bella at the arena hadn't gone unnoticed by the audience nearby.

They began to silently talk amongst themselves, speculating about our connection.

"Hey, was that Bella Raiseinler?"

"Are they friends?"

"I heard rumors that the two of them were dating."

They couldn't have been more wrong, but I opted to disregard their speculations and turned my attention to the upcoming fight. Despite the unexpected circumstances, this battle piqued my interest.

In the novels, Louise and Bella had never fought each other. But based on Tristan's confrontation with Bella in the story, it was clear that Louise might be at a disadvantage in this match, I just don't see her being able to break free from Bella's illusions.

As both contestants entered the arena, cheers erupted from the magic and summoning department students, showing their support for their respective representatives.

"Start" the announcer's voice echoed through the arena.

Thud...!!

Suddenly, Louise's body slumped to the ground, her eyelids drooping as she fell into a deep slumber. Her gentle breaths indicated that she was in a profound state of sleep. The audience watched in stunned silence, struggling to fully comprehend what had just transpired.

With drowsy eyes, Bella glanced up at the judges seated above. Her meaning was clear, and the judges quickly provided their scores. The announcer then made the declaration.

"Winner Bella Raiseinler!"

It turned out to be the shortest match in the history of the academy's joint combat exams, ending in a mere four seconds.

The audience remained in a state of disbelief, trying to process the astonishing outcome.